Have you a low tolerance to dairy?
You needn’t quarantine it from your diet entirely, or tell every waiter in Ireland about it. Give goat’s cheese a go.
The fat globules in goat’s milk appear to be smaller than cow’s milk, making it easier to digest. There’s also less lactose in goat’s milk – not that lactose is evil or problematic. Some of us simply don’t manufacture lactase, the digestive enzyme responsible for breaking down lactose in our system. This tends to be genetically determined.
Whether you suffer from dodgy digestion or not, Irish goat’s cheese is unreasonably delicious. Lidl do a good one, but we have a special squeal reserved for Bluebell Falls and Ardsallagh. It’s a stealthy vehicle for Green Leafy Veg, especially with toddlers, husbands and other contrarians.
Or sprinkle with bee pollen, to confuse them. Looks so pretty (see above).
Interestingly, goat’s milk contains more calcium than cow’s milk. Its pH level is more favourable than regular dairy too, which seems to excite ‘alkaline’ eaters such as Sienna Miller, Calgary Avensino and Robbie Williams. The Alkaline Diet is a scorching-hot trend among the gorgeous brigade in London and New York.
Interested? Check out The Honestly Healthy Cookbook penned by two savvy ladies, Natasha Corrett and Vicki Edgson. You’ll need to resuscitate that roll of litmus paper from biology class, a sense of adventure, and that day-glow exercise leotard!
Soft Goat’s Cheese Salad with Cherries & Toasted Tamari Seeds
It will probably take more time to read this recipe, than to make it.
No need to toast the seeds in soya sauce unless you are a bona fide umami tart like me. Umami is that lip-smacking mushroomy hit that obsessionistas crave (you know who you are). Soya sauce has loads of it. As does coconut aminos.
Umami is often referred to as our fifth taste sense, alongside sweet, sour, salty and bitter. I’d argue we have a lot more than five taste senses – fear, pheromones, visa bills, CK One, and stink bombs. I can taste them all.
For the salad:
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
Good splash of tamari soya sauce or coconut aminos
Handful of greens like watercress, sunflower sprouts or Russian kale
1 cup cherries
Soft goat’s cheese for 2
For the maple dressing:
1 teaspoon of maple syrup
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Good squeeze of lime or lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon whole peppercorns, crushed and pummeled
There’s enough here for two. Start by pre-heating your oven to 180 C / 350 F. Spread the pumpkin seeds across a baking tray and roast in the oven for 6 minutes. You’ll hear them popping. Toss the seeds with tamari or coconut aminos, and return the tray to the oven for another minute. Remove from the oven and allow the seeds to cool. This can be difficult.
I find leaving the kitchen helpful, to avoid repeatedly scalding my tonsils.
To assemble the salad, carefully peel the Russian kale leaves from its tough stalk and tear into rough pieces. You could use any leaves you fancy, but red Russian kale are strong, barrel-chested chaps. Spicy too. I used sunflower sprouts and cress in the photo, because I scoffed the kale before remembering to photograph it.
Tumble the halved cherries onto the salad leaves.
To make the dressing, whisk the elements together with a fork and drizzle over the cherry leaves. Gently turn the leaves to coat everything.
Crown with a generous dollop of goat’s cheese and bless with loads of roasted seeds.
